Visual Thinking (Harvard Project Zero)

What is Visible Thinking?

Using 3 standard phrases through visible teaching to develop a routine. 

1. What do you notice?

2. Why do you think or say that?

Using Visible thinking in the classroom. Peeling the fruit. 

Stephanie Martin is a Kindergarten teacher who uses visible thinking strategies to promote visible thinking. This link will present a video as well as some images of examples of visible thinking shown in practice.

International School of Amsterdam

Kilvington Grammar is an innovative school trialing the program for their students.

Bialik College is an innovative school which actively engage with the Harvard Project Zero, Visible Thinking concept, and its strategies. 

Bialik College has a strong focus on cultures of thinking which aims to assist students to develop creative thinking and be comfortable with the idea of not knowing something (Bialik college, n.d). 

Classroom practices that teach students how to think are highly valuable, benefiting both teachers and students. 

Do you agree or disagree? 

The Underpinnings of the Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking

Visible Thinking Routines

Visible thinking routines support inclusivity as it engages many students, drawing students into group discussions who usually participate infrequently

Aligns strongly with the ‘Learner Centred Ideology’ (Schiro, 2013)

Through the implementation of Visible Thinking approach, educators scaffold complex cognition and provoke dialogic thinking (Vygotsky, 1978)

Allows children to promote their development as self-directed learners and promotes learning for understanding

Encourages students to express their ideas and understandings rather than memorise facts

Limitations of the Visible Thinking approach

- Educators may inflict implicit bias upon students

- Rich classroom discourse can often lead to the ‘evaporation’ of children’s ideas if they are not immediately documented (Richhart et al., 2011)

The Harvard project is an innovation and a concept which is coming closer and closer to home here in Australia and particularly in Victoria. Seeking interest for any schools who wish t participate in a trial of this program. 

Innovations are always created for a reason. I mean; why fix what isn’t broken? The Harvard Project Zero, Visible Thinking innovation is no different. 

So why was this project developed?

- The necessity for arts and education to be combined and respected in order to develop student thinking in many areas

What is Harvard Project Zero’s Visible thinking helping to improve you ask? 

- Assists students to improve the way in which they think about tasks, reinforcing that the thinking process is just as important as the final product

- Allows educators to gather critical data and identify gaps in knowledge, crucial for future assessment and planning, particularly for students with diverse needs